Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Joseph Williams, Community Agent of Strategic Partnerships at the Rialto Unified School District. Thank you so much for being here, Joseph.
Joseph Williams
Thank you for having me. I'm excited.
Maya Gwynn
Okay, so before you became a leader in education and public service, what was your first step into this line of work?
Joseph Williams
I got ‘voluntold’ to be on the board for the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino. Okay, that's how I got into board governance and leadership, and I was also student trustee at Valley College. That was years later, but yeah, helping the Boys and Girls Club do youth workforce development programs. You know, I was a board member, but then also tasked to be a volunteer, to do some programming. And I think that was probably 1999 maybe 2000 or so, was when I really got engaged in this type of work.
Maya Gwynn
Your work spans education, workforce development and public service. What are the most creative and inspiring ways you've seen all of these areas intersect with each other?
Joseph Williams
I think just thinking about the work that we did around the college promise initiative, it was a ten million initiative to help students get access to college. We were able to open access for 3000 students in the area. That was really exciting to just kind of see how we can go from having a concept to implementation, and then actually seeing the students who are impacted by it. And, you know, I see folks in the supermarket and they say, Hey, you know, I went to Valley College or, you know, especially the ones that were bused to the ceremony. And then on graduation day, to be able to see those students cross the stage, and to know that we've had an impact in helping somebody who might not have otherwise received access, that's really a cool thing to experience. And then on the workforce side, when you see someone who's a student, and then they're working or they've started their own business, it's really a full circle kind of thing to be able to be a part of. So it's really cool.
Maya Gwynn
You are the founder of the nonprofit Youth Action Project, or YAP. Can you tell us more about your company and your mission, and where do you hope it goes in the future?
Joseph Williams
Yeah, well, YAP is the community's organization. YAP’s mission is to help young adults will really empower them in developing the skills and habits needed for economic and social success. And lot of times, YAP is a young person's first job. College students who want to go in a helping profession. They work at high schools, middle schools, and they just really help young people with whether it be something around their academics, could be enrichment, it can just be advising them on their goals, they serve through what they call the Young Scholars Initiative. It's an AmeriCorps service learning program, and the idea is building new skills and habits through service for those folks, and it's connecting a positive adult role model to a young person. And so we see that cycle where folks are in the program, then they become members in the program, and then they're serving in the schools that they attended. And so YAP does that. Does a range of workforce development programs for youth who are out of school, who are kind of disconnected from the system, and just really helping them get reconnected, getting some type of vocational training and then making their way into the workforce. And then even some of them are working on entrepreneurial activities, yeah, so it's pretty cool.
Maya Gwynn
And where do you hope to see it in the future?
Joseph Williams
I want to see a Youth Action Center, you know, a place where there's a coffee shop, maybe some housing, yeah, but a space where young people can call their home. Youth Action Center would be the ultimate dream to go to see that happen.
Maya Gwynn
Like a meeting place, right? Can you give a specific example of a student that you felt like you had a huge impact on?
Joseph Williams
Yeah, so from my involvement in Youth Action Project, the story we talk about is a young man who is currently the vice president of video production at a record label in Los Angeles. And so when he came to YAP, you know, I had $500, a camera, and he created an interview skills video for us. This was 2006. And so now he's the chair of Youth Action Project, board of directors. And, you know, he's in video production. I mean, that's what he does for a living. And we have a lot of examples like that, where students were a part of Youth Action Projects’ tutoring program, and now they are a teacher or a principal. There's a young man who was a student in one of our programs, and then he became one of the, what we call academic case managers, and now he's a math teacher. He teaches at the same school. You know, there are a lot of examples like that, where you see folks that are just kind of doing their thing as a result of being involved in stuff that I've had a chance to be part of.
Maya Gwynn
All right. And we're gonna move into our rapid-fire portion. So just the first thing comes to your mind. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Joseph Williams
I don't know, something by Stevie Wonder like Master Blaster.
Maya Gwynn
Nice. And if you had to teach a master class or give a TED talk in a random skill that you have, it could be silly or serious. What would it be?
Joseph Williams
Drone photography. So I have a Mavic Pro, and I'm actually doing some certification classes, and so, yeah, I would do a class on flying and taking quality shots.
Maya Gwynn
That would be fun. And what's your favorite Inland Empire restaurant or a landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire?
Joseph Williams
Right now it's Gina's kitchen on Haven, I believe she's on. But they have the best breakfast in the world, American food with a little maybe Mexican soul inspired.
Maya Gwynn
Oh, wow, that sounds good.
Joseph Williams
Yeah, Gina's kitchen - that might be Rancho, but over by the Target.
Maya Gwynn
And how can people keep up with you and support your work and what you're doing?
Joseph Williams
I'm on social media. All the social media, well, I'm on Instagram and LinkedIn, Facebook.
Maya Gwynn
Sounds good. Thank you so much for being here.
Joseph Williams
Yeah. Thanks for having me.
Maya Gwynn
Joseph Williams Community Agent of Strategic Partnerships at the Rialto Unified School District. Support for this segment comes from the Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments in black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn, thank you.
